Semiconductor structure and associated fabricating method

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor structure is disclosed. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; a gate structure formed on the substrate; a source region and a drain region formed in the substrate on either side of the gate structure, the source region and the drain region both having a first type of conductivity; and a dielectric layer having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the dielectric layer is formed on a portion of the gate structure, and the second portion of the dielectric layer is formed on the substrate and extending to a portion of the drain region, wherein the dielectric layer includes at least one recess on the second portion. An associated fabricating method is also disclosed.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application62/273,473, filed on Dec. 31, 2015, which is incorporated by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapidgrowth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have producedgenerations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complexcircuits than the previous generation. However, these advances haveincreased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, forthese advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing andmanufacturing are needed. For example, as semiconductor circuitscomposed of devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field effecttransistors (MOSFETs) are adapted for high voltage applications,problems arise with respect to incorporating a high voltage device witha low voltage device (e.g., a logic device) for system-on-chip (SoC)technology. Further, as the scaling down of logic devices continues withadvanced technologies (e.g., 45 nm and below), the process flow may beaccompanied with a high implantation concentration to preventpunch-through between a source and a drain or to reduce resistance of asource and a drain, and thus may cause greater leakage problems and thedegradation of device reliability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIGS. 1-11 are diagrams illustrating a high voltage semiconductor deviceat various stages of fabrication according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments; orexamples, for implementing different features of the disclosure.Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below tosimplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examplesand are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of afirst feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the disclosure are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in therespective testing measurements. Also, as used herein, the term “about”generally means within 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range.Alternatively, the term “about” means within an acceptable standarderror of the mean when considered by one of ordinary skill in the art.Other than in the operating/working examples, or unless otherwiseexpressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values andpercentages such as those for quantities of materials, durations oftimes, temperatures, operating conditions, ratios of amounts, and thelikes thereof disclosed herein should be understood as modified in allinstances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to thecontrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the present disclosureand attached claims are approximations that can vary as desired. At thevery least, each numerical parameter should at least be construed inlight of the number of reported significant digits and by applyingordinary rounding techniques. Ranges can be expressed herein as from oneendpoint to another endpoint or between two endpoints. All rangesdisclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, unless specifiedotherwise.

FIGS. 1-11 are diagrams illustrating a high voltage semiconductor device100 at various stages of fabrication according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. It is noted that FIGS. 1-11 havebeen simplified for a better understanding of the disclosed embodiment.Moreover, the high voltage semiconductor device 100 may be configured asa system-on-chip (SoC) device having various PMOS and NMOS transistorsthat are fabricated to operate at different voltage levels. The PMOS andNMOS transistors may provide low voltage functionality includinglogic/memory devices and input/output devices, and high voltagefunctionality including power management devices. For example,transistors that provide low voltage functionality may have operating(or drain) voltages of 1.1 V with standard CMOS technology, or voltagesof 1.8/2.5/3.3 V with special (input/output) transistors in standardCMOS technology. In addition, transistors that provide medium/highvoltage functionality may have operating (or drain) voltages of 5 V orgreater (e.g., 20-35 V). It is understood that the high voltagesemiconductor device 100 may also include resistors, capacitors,inductors, diodes, and other suitable microelectronic devices that aretypically implemented in integrated circuits. In the present embodiment,the high voltage semiconductor device 100 includes an n-type highvoltage MOS (NHVMOS) device.

Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor substrate 202 is provided. Thesubstrate 202 may include a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer.Alternatively, the substrate 202 may include other elementarysemiconductors such as germanium. The substrate 202 may also include acompound semiconductor such as silicon carbide, gallium arsenic, indiumarsenide, and indium phosphide. Moreover, the substrate 202 may includean alloy semiconductor such as silicon germanium, silicon germaniumcarbide, gallium arsenic phosphide, and gallium indium phosphide. In anembodiment, the substrate 202 includes an epitaxial layer (epi layer)overlying a bulk semiconductor. Furthermore, the substrate 202 mayinclude a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) structure. For example, thesubstrate 202 may include a buried oxide (BOX) layer formed by a processsuch as separation by implanted oxygen (SIMOX). In various embodiments,the substrate 202 may include a buried layer such as an n-type buriedlayer (NBL), a p-type buried layer (PBL), and/or a buried dielectriclayer including a buried oxide (BOX) layer. In the present embodiment,illustrated as an n-type HVMOS, the substrate 202 includes a p-typesilicon substrate (p-substrate). To form a complementary HVMOS, ann-type buried layer, i.e., deep n-well (DNW), may be implanted deeplyunder the active region of the p-type HVMOS of the p-substrate 202.

Isolation feature structures 204 such as shallow trench isolations (STI)or local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) including isolation features maybe formed in the substrate 202 to define and electrically isolatevarious active regions. As one example, the formation of an STI featuremay include dry etching a trench in a substrate and filling the trenchwith insulator materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, orsilicon oxynitride. The filled trench may have a multi-layer structuresuch as a thermal oxide liner layer filled with silicon nitride orsilicon oxide. In furtherance of the embodiment, the STI structure maybe created using a processing sequence such as: growing a pad oxide,forming a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) nitride layer,patterning an STI opening using photoresist and masking, etching atrench in the substrate, optionally growing a thermal oxide trench linerto improve the trench interface, filling the trench with CVD oxide,using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processing to etch back andplanarize, and using a nitride stripping process to remove the siliconnitride.

In FIG. 2, an N-well (NW) 206 is formed in various regions of theP-substrate 202 by ion-implantation or diffusion techniques known in theart. For example, an N-well mask is used to pattern a photoresist layer205 in a photolithography process or other suitable process. Anexemplary photolithography process may include processing steps ofphotoresist coating, soft baking, mask aligning, exposing, post-exposurebaking, developing, and hard baking. An ion implantation utilizing ann-type dopant, such as arsenic or phosphorus, may be performed to formthe N-well (NW) 206 in the substrate 202. The N-well 206 may be referredto as an extended drain of the NHVMOS device.

In FIG. 3, a P-well (PW) 208 is formed in various regions of theP-substrate 202 by ion-implantation or diffusion techniques known in theart. The P-well 208 may be formed in a similar manner as discussed abovefor the N-well 206. A P-well mask is used to pattern a photoresist layer207 that protects the N-well 206. An ion implantation utilizing a p-typedopant, such as boron, may be performed to form the P-well 208 in theregion where a source feature will be subsequently formed. It is notedthat other ion implantation processes may also be performed to adjustthreshold voltages of the core NMOS and PMOS devices in the other activeregions of the substrate 202 as is known in the art.

In FIG. 4, a gate structure 210 is formed on the semiconductor substrate202. In this embodiment, the gate structure 210 includes a gatedielectric layer 210 b formed on the substrate 202, and a gate electrode210 a formed on the gate dielectric layer 210 b. Further, the gatestructure 210 overlies a portion of the N-well 206 and a portion of theP-well 208. The gate dielectric layer 210 b may include a silicon oxidelayer. Alternatively, the gate dielectric layer 210 b may optionallyinclude a high-k dielectric material, silicon oxynitride, other suitablematerials, or combinations thereof. The high-k material may be selectedfrom metal oxides, metal nitrides, metal silicates, transitionmetal-oxides, transition metal-nitrides, transition metal-silicates,oxynitrides of metals, metal aluminates, zirconium silicate, zirconiumaluminate, hafnium oxide, or combinations thereof. The gate dielectriclayer 210 b may have a multilayer structure such as one layer of siliconoxide and another layer of high k material. The gate dielectric layer210 b may be formed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physicalvapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermal oxide,other suitable processes, or combinations thereof.

The gate electrode 210 a may be configured to be coupled to metalinterconnects and may be disposed overlying the gate dielectric layer210 b. The gate electrode 210 a may include a doped polycrystallinesilicon (or polysilicon). Alternatively, the gate electrode 210 a mayinclude a metal such as Al, Cu, W, Ti, Ta, TiN, TaN, NiSi, CoSi, othersuitable conductive materials, or combinations thereof. The gateelectrode 210 a may be formed by CVD, PVD, plating, and other properprocesses. The gate electrode 210 a may have a multilayer structure andmay be formed in a multi-step process using a combination of differentprocesses.

The gate dielectric layer 210 b and the gate electrode 210 a formed onthe substrate 202 are then patterned to form a plurality of gatestructures using a process including photolithography patterning andetching. An exemplary method for patterning the gate dielectric layer210 b and the gate electrode 210 a is described below. A layer ofphotoresist is formed on the polysilicon layer by a suitable process,such as spin-on coating, and then patterned to form a patternedphotoresist feature by a proper lithography patterning method. Thepattern of the photoresist can then be transferred by a dry etchingprocess to the underlying polysilicon layer and the gate dielectriclayer to form gate electrodes and gate dielectrics, in a plurality ofprocessing steps and various proper sequences. The photoresist layer maybe stripped thereafter. In another embodiment, only the gate electrode210 a is patterned. In still another embodiment, a hard mask layer maybe used and formed on the polysilicon layer. The patterned photoresistlayer is formed on the hard mask layer. The pattern of the photoresistlayer is transferred to the hard mask layer and then transferred to thepolysilicon layer to form the gate electrode 210 a. The hard mask layermay include silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, and/orother suitable dielectric materials, and may be formed using a methodsuch as CVD or PVD.

In FIG. 5, sidewall spacers 230 are formed on both sides of the gatestructure 210. The sidewall spacers 230 may include a dielectricmaterial such as silicon oxide. Alternatively, the sidewall spacers 230may optionally include silicon nitride, silicon carbide, siliconoxynitride, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the sidewallspacers 230 may have a multilayer structure. The sidewall spacers 230may be formed by a deposition and etching (anisotropic etchingtechnique) as is known in the art.

In FIG. 6, a source region 232 is formed in the P-well 208 and a drainregion 234 is formed in the N-well 206, where the source region 232 anddrain region 234 are n-type (referred to as N+ or heavily dopedregions). The n-type source region 232 and the n-type drain region 234may be positioned on both sides of the gate structure 210 and interposedthereby. In some embodiments, the source region 232 may include an edgesubstantially self-aligned to one of the sidewall spacers. In someembodiments, the drain region 234 may include an edge that is separatedfrom the other one of the sidewall spacers. Accordingly, a patternedphotoresist layer 214 may protect a portion of the semiconductorsubstrate 202 that extends beyond an outer edge of the other one of thesidewall spacers. In the present embodiment, the source region 232 andthe drain region 234 include n-type dopants such as P or As. The sourceregion 232 and the drain region 234 may be formed by a method such asion implantation or diffusion. A rapid thermal annealing (RTA) processmay be used to activate the implanted dopant. In various embodiments,the source region 232 and the drain region 234 may have different dopingprofiles formed by multi-process implantation. It should be noted that aprocess to form a source/drain of a p-type (referred to as P+ or heavilydoped regions) may be performed for the PMOS devices in the other activeregions of the substrate. Accordingly, the NMOS devices including thepresent embodiment may be protected by the patterned photoresist layer214.

In FIG. 7, a resist protective oxide (RPO) layer 250 is formed over thegate structure 210, the sidewall spacers 230, the source region 232, thedrain region 234 and the isolation feature structures 204. In oneexample, the RPO layer 250 is formed using silicon dioxide. In FIG. 8,the RPO layer 250 (shown in FIG. 7) is partially etched away, leavingthe RPO layer 252 over at least a portion of the gate structure 210 andthe sidewall spacers 230, extending over a portion of the drain region234. The RPO layer 252 may function as a silicide blocking layer duringa subsequent self-aligned silicide (silicide) process discussed below.The device area that does not use the silicide process is covered withthe RPO layer 252. The RPO layer 252 can be defined by applying, forexample, an oxide wet etch that partially removes the RPO layer 250.This protects the areas under the RPO layer 252 from the silicideformation.

In FIG. 9, recesses 260_1-260_n are formed on the RPO layer 252. Inparticular, the recesses 260_1-260_n are formed on the RPO layer 252above a portion between the sidewall spacers 230 and the drain region234 by using a process including photolithography patterning and etchingas is known in the art. One exemplary method for patterning the recesses260_1-260_n is described below. A layer of photoresist is formed on theRPO layer 252 by a suitable process, such as spin-on coating, and thenpatterned to form a patterned photoresist feature by a properlithography patterning method. In a plurality of processing steps andvarious proper sequences, the pattern of the photoresist can then betransferred by a dry and/or wet etching process to the underlying RPOlayer 252 in order to form the recesses 260_1-260_n. The photoresistlayer may be stripped thereafter. The process of photolithographypatterning and etching may be combined with a standard HV process; thus,there is no additional mask required particularly for the formation ofthe recesses 260_1-260_n.

The number of the recesses 260_1-260_n is not limited, and in someembodiments, n is equal to or greater than 1. In this embodiment, alength L of each of the recesses 260_1-260 n is equal to a width W ofeach of the recesses 260_1-260 n. As can be seen from the enlargedportion of the recesses 260_2 and 260_3, the length L of each of therecesses 260_1-260_n is about 0.16 um, and the width W of each of therecesses 260_1-260_n is about 0.16 um. However, this is not a limitationof the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the length L of each ofthe recesses 260_1-260_n may not be equal to the width W of each of therecesses 260_1-260_n. For example, an elongated rectangular recess maybe formed along the length of the surface of the RPO layer 252 above theportion between the sidewall spacers 230 and the drain region 234 toreplace the recesses 260_1-260_n. In some embodiments, each of therecesses 260_1-260_n may have a distinct dimension. In some embodiments,a ratio of the width W of each of the recesses 260_1-260_n to a width W1of the extending portion of the RPO layer 252 horizontally laying on thesubstrate 202 may range from about 0.2 to about 0.3. In someembodiments, a ratio of the width W of each of the recesses 260_1-260_nto a width W1 of the extending portion horizontally laying on thesubstrate 202 may range from about 0.1 to about 0.5. However, this isnot a limitation of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, a spacing S between any two neighboring recesses ofthe recesses 260_1-260_n may be about 0.16 um. However, this is not alimitation of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the spacing Sbetween any two neighboring recesses of the recesses 260_1-260_n mayrange from about 0.16 um to about 0.19 um. In other embodiments, thespacing S between any two neighboring recesses of the recesses260_1-260_n may be less than about 0.16 um or greater than about 0.19urn. In other words, a ratio of the spacing S to the width W of therecesses may range from about 1 to about 1.2. In this embodiment, adepth D of each of the recesses 260_1-260_n may be about 0 angstrom toabout 650 angstroms. In other words, a ratio of the depth D of each ofthe recesses 260_1-260_n to a thickness of the extending portion of theRPO layer 252 may range from about 0 to about 0.8. However, this is nota limitation of the present disclosure, Please note that in someembodiments, the recesses 260_1-260_n may not exist when the depth Dequals to about 0. In addition, the depth D of each of the recesses260_1-260_n is limited to not equaling the depth of the extendingportion of the RPO layer 252. In other words, the recesses 260_1-260_nare configured to extend toward the underneath of the N-well 206 andstop extending before penetrating the RPO layer 252.

It is understood that the semiconductor device 100 may undergo furtherCMOS processing as is known in the art. For example, the semiconductordevice 100 may further include forming various contacts and metalfeatures on the substrate 202. Silicide features may be formed bysilicidation, such as salicide, in which a metal material is formed nextto an Si structure, then the temperature is raised to anneal and cause areaction between underlying silicon and the metal so as to formsilicide, and the un-reacted metal is etched away. The salicide materialmay be self-aligned to be formed on various features such as the sourceregion 232, the drain region 234 and/or the gate electrode 210 a toreduce contact resistance. In this embodiment, a source salicide region262 is formed in the source region 232, and a drain salicide region 264is formed in the drain region 234 as shown in FIG. 10.

Also, a plurality of patterned dielectric layers and conductive layersare formed on the substrate 202 in order to form multilayerinterconnects configured to couple the various p-type and n-type dopedregions in the substrate 202, such as the source region 232, the drainregion 234, and the gate electrode 210 a. In an embodiment, aninterlayer dielectric (ILD) layer 266 and a multilayer interconnect(MLI) structure 268 are formed in a configuration such that the ILDlayer 266 separates and isolates each metal layer from other metallayers. In furtherance of the example, the MLI structure 268 includescontacts, vias and metal lines formed on the substrate 202. In oneexample, the MLI structure 268 may include conductive materials such asaluminum, aluminum/silicon/copper alloy, titanium, titanium nitride,tungsten, polysilicon, metal silicide, or combinations thereof, beingreferred to as aluminum interconnects. Aluminum interconnects may beformed by a process including physical vapor deposition (or sputtering),chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or combinations thereof. Othermanufacturing techniques to form the aluminum interconnect may includephotolithography processing and etching to pattern the conductivematerials for vertical connections (vias and contacts) and horizontalconnections (conductive lines). Alternatively, a copper multilayerinterconnect may be used to form the metal patterns. The copperinterconnect structure may include copper, copper alloy, titanium,titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, polysilicon,metal silicide, or combinations thereof. The copper interconnect may beformed by a technique including CVD, sputtering, plating, or othersuitable processes.

The ILD layer 266 includes silicon oxide. Alternatively or additionally,the ILI) layer 266 includes a material having a low dielectric constantsuch as a dielectric constant less than about 3.5. In an embodiment, thedielectric layer includes silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, polyimide, spin-on glass (SOG), fluoride-doped silicateglass (FSG), carbon doped silicon oxide, Black Diamond® (AppliedMaterials of Santa Clara, Calif.), Xerogel, Aerogel, amorphousfluorinated carbon, Parylene, BCB (his-benzocyclobutenes), SiLK (DowChemical, Midland, Mich.), polyimide, and/or other suitable materials.The dielectric layer may be formed by a technique including spin-oncoating, CVD, or other suitable processes.

The MLI structure 268 and the ILI) layer 266 may be formed in anintegrated process, such as a damascene process. In a damascene process,a metal such as copper is used as conductive material forinterconnection. Another metal or metal alloy may be additionally oralternatively used for various conductive features. Accordingly, siliconoxide, fluorinated silica glass, or low dielectric constant (k)materials can be used for the ILD layer 266. During the damasceneprocess, a trench is formed in a dielectric layer, and copper is filledin the trench. As shown in FIG. 11, a trench 272 filled with metal, suchas copper, is formed in the ILD layer 266 to interconnect the sourcesalicide region 262 of the source region 232 to the upper MLI structure268; a trench 274 filled with metal, such as copper, is formed in theILI) layer 266 to interconnect the drain salicide region 264 of thedrain region 234 to the upper MLI structure 268; a trench 273 filledwith metal, such as copper, is formed in the ILD layer 266 tointerconnect the gate electrode 210 a to the upper MLI structure 268;and a trench 271 filled with metal, such as copper, is formed in the ILDlayer 266 to interconnect the RPO layer 252 to the upper MLI structure268. The trench 271 may be formed on one of the recesses 260_1-260_n,and the metal filled in the trench 271 may substantially fill the theone of the recesses 260_1-260_n. In some embodiments, the trench 271 maybe formed on at least one of the recesses 260_1-260_n. For example, thetrench 271 may be formed on the recesses 260_1-260_n and the metalfilled in the trench 271 may substantially fill the recesses260_1-260_n. As is known in the art, a chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) technique may be implemented afterward to etch back and planarizethe substrate surface.

The trench 271 is coupled to the source region 232 through the MLIstructure 268 and the trench 272. As such, the trench 271 isequipotential to the source region 232 during operation. The highvoltage electric field induced by the high voltage at the drain region234 is therefore shielded by the metal filled in the trench 271. In thisway, the trench 271 can be regarded as a voltage electric field barrier,and at least the region at the side opposite to the drain region 234 andabove the bottom of the trench 271 can be approximately equipotential tothe source region 232. The voltage breakdown at the gate structure 210can be consequently mitigated. In addition, the metal in the trench 271filling the recesses 260_1-260_n can be helpful to elongate the metalbarrier in order to protect the interface between the gate structure 210and the substrate 202. Moreover, a capacitance C_(GD) between the gatestructure 210 and the drain region 234 can also be reduced, therebyincreasing the operating bandwidth.

Among various embodiments, the present method and structure provide anenhanced performance high voltage device. By implementing the trench 271filled with metal extending to the RPO layer between the drain regionand the gate structure, the breakdown voltage and the operatingbandwidth can be significantly reduced without sacrificing theconductive resistance. Compared to an existing structure having an STIfeature intentionally disposed in a substrate between a drain region anda gate structure, the conductive resistance of the present disclosurecan be improved since the STI feature that blocks current flow isremoved. Moreover, the high voltage device and method of making the samedisclosed herein may be fabricated with the same process that is used toform NMOS and PMOS devices (CMOS process flow) for a logic device (lowvoltage) without requiring additional photomask and/or other processes.Therefore, the cost for fabricating SoC that includes both high voltageand logic devices is kept low.

The disclosed structure and method may have various embodiments,modifications and variations. The high voltage device may not be limitedto an n-type MOS device and can be extended to a p-type MOS device witha similar structure and configuration, except that all doping types maybe reversed and with a DNW buried substrate. The correspondingdimensions are modified according to the design for the desiredtransistor performance. Further embodiments may also include, but arenot limited to, vertical diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (VDMOS),other types of high power MOS transistors, Fin structure field effecttransistors (FinFET), and strained MOS structures.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductorstructure. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; a gatestructure formed on the substrate; a source region and a drain regionformed in the substrate on either side of the gate structure, the sourceregion and the drain region both having a first type of conductivity;and a resist protective oxide (RPO) layer having a first portion and asecond portion, wherein the first portion of the RPO layer is formed ona portion of the gate structure, and the second portion of the RPO layeris horizontally formed on the substrate and extending to a portion ofthe drain region, wherein the RPO layer includes at least one recess onthe second portion.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductorstructure. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; a gatestructure formed on the substrate; a source region and a drain regionformed in the substrate on either side of the gate structure, the sourceregion and the drain region both having a first type of conductivity; aresist protective oxide (RPO) layer having a first portion and a secondportion, wherein the first portion of the RPO layer is formed on aportion of the gate structure, and the second portion of the RPO layeris horizontally formed on the substrate and extending to a portion ofthe drain region, wherein the RPO layer includes at least one recess onthe second portion; and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer formed onthe substrate, the layer including a through trench to the at least onerecess, wherein the through trench is substantially filled by conductivematerial.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method forfabricating a semiconductor structure. The method includes: providing asubstrate; forming a gate structure on the substrate; forming a sourceregion and a drain region in the substrate on either side of the gatestructure, the source region and the drain region both having a firsttype of conductivity; forming a resist protective oxide (RPO) layer overthe substrate, wherein the RPO layer has a first portion and a secondportion, the first portion is formed on a portion of the gate structure,and the second portion is horizontally formed on the substrate andextending to a portion of the drain region; and forming at least onerecess on the second portion of the RPO layer.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a gatestructure formed on a substrate; a first well of a first type ofconductivity, the first well extending under a first portion of the gatestructure and a second well of a second type of conductivity, the secondwell extending under a second portion of the gate structure, wherein thefirst well is spaced a distance from the second well; a firstsource/drain region having the first type of conductivity formed in thefirst well and a second source/drain region having the first type ofconductivity formed in the second well, the gate structure interposingthe first source/drain region and the second source/drain region; adielectric layer contiguously extending from over the gate structure tointerfacing a top surface of the first well, wherein the dielectriclayer includes at least one recess; and a first trench extending to theat least one recess, a second trench extending to the secondsource/drain region, and a third trench extending to the firstsource/drain region, wherein the first, second and third trenches arefilled with conductive material.
 22. The semiconductor structure ofclaim 21, wherein the dielectric layer has a first thickness and thegate structure has a second thickness, the second thickness greater thanthe first thickness.
 23. The semiconductor structure of claim 21,wherein the substrate interposes the first well and the second well,wherein the substrate is of the second type of conductivity.
 24. Thesemiconductor structure of claim 21 wherein the at least one recess hasa bottom exposing a top surface of the first well.
 25. The semiconductorstructure of claim 21, wherein the dielectric layer is disposed onsidewall spacers of the gate structure.
 26. The semiconductor structureof claim 21, wherein the dielectric layer is silicon oxide.
 27. Thesemiconductor structure of claim 21, wherein the dielectric layer has afirst terminal end over the gate structure and a second terminal endover the first source/drain region.
 28. A semiconductor structure,comprising: a gate structure formed on a substrate; a first source/drainregion disposed on a first side of the gate structure and a secondsource/drain region formed on a second side of the gate structure, thefirst and second source/drain regions having a first type ofconductivity; a dielectric layer contiguously extending from over thegate structure to over the second source/drain region, wherein thedielectric layer includes at least one recess in a portion of thedielectric layer between the second side of the gate structure and thesecond source/drain region, the at least one recess being spaced adistance from the second side of the gate structure toward the secondsource/drain region; and a first trench substantially filled with aconductive material and extending to the at least one recess and asecond trench extending to the second source/drain region, wherein thesecond trench is substantially filled with the conductive material. 29.The semiconductor structure of claim 28, wherein the conductive materialin the first trench further substantially fills the at least one recess.30. The semiconductor structure of claim 28, wherein the first trenchinterposes the second trench and the gate structure.
 31. Thesemiconductor structure of claim 30, wherein a terminal end of thedielectric layer interposes the first trench and the second trench. 32.The semiconductor structure of claim 28, wherein the at least one recessin the portion of the dielectric layer exposes a top surface of a firstwell structure.
 33. The semiconductor structure of claim 32, wherein thefirst source/drain region is disposed in the first well structure. 34.The semiconductor structure of claim 28, wherein the second source/drainregion interfaces a shallow trench isolation feature disposed in thesubstrate.
 35. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a gate structurehaving gate spacers formed on a substrate, wherein the gate structurehas a length and a width, the width greater than the length; a sourceregion and a drain region formed in the substrate on either side of thegate structure; a dielectric layer extending over a portion of the gatestructure and over a first portion of the drain region, wherein thedielectric layer has at least one recess over the first portion of thedrain region; a first conductive element providing contact to a secondportion of the drain region, wherein the first portion of the drainregion has a first level of a dopant and the second portion of the drainregion has a second level of the dopant greater than the first level; asecond conductive element providing contact to the gate structure; and athird conductive element providing contact through the at least onerecess, wherein portions of an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer arebetween each of the first, second and third conductive elements.
 36. Thesemiconductor structure of claim 35, wherein the dielectric layer has aterminal end over the gate structure and a second terminal end over thesecond portion of the drain region.
 37. The semiconductor structure ofclaim 35, wherein the first portion of the drain region extends to underthe gate structure.
 38. The semiconductor structure of claim 35, furthercomprising a shallow trench isolation feature abutting the secondportion of the drain region.
 39. The semiconductor structure of claim38, wherein a second portion of the shallow trench isolation featureabuts the first portion of the drain region and a first portion of theshallow trench isolation feature abuts the second portion of the drainregion, wherein the second portion is lower than the first portion. 40.The semiconductor structure of claim 35, wherein the source regionincludes the second level of the dopant.